My Travel Card Spending Strategy
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I always say that if you REALLY want to get into the world of travel hacking, you need to think strategically. That includes knowing where you like to travel, what type of points would be useful for those destinations, and what credit cards align with those brands.
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USING JUST ONE TRAVEL CARD WILL NEVER EARN YOU THE AMOUNT OF POINTS USING MULTIPLE CARDS WILL. That is not just because of the lucrative bonuses you receive when you sign-up for a new card, but it is also because different cards have different “sweet spots” when it comes to spending categories and earning points.
To show you what I’m talking about, I am going to share MY strategy based on MY travel preferences and circumstances:
Let’s start with my favorite flexible points programs:
1) Chase Ultimate Rewards. My cards that earn these points are the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Chase Business Ink Cash, the Chase Freedom Flex cards.
2) Capital One Venture Rewards. My card that earns these points is the Capital One Venture card.
Now my favorite hotel points program:
1) Hilton Honors. My cards that earn these points are the American Express Surpass and the American Express Aspire card.
2) World of Hyatt. My card that earns these points is the World of Hyatt Visa, however I use the Chase Sapphire Preferred WAY more often and transfer/convert my Ultimate Rewards into World of Hyatt points.
Finally, my favorite airline points program:
1) Southwest Rapid Rewards. My card that earns these points is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card, however I use the Chase Sapphire Preferred WAY more often and transfer/convert my Ultimate Rewards into Rapid Rewards points. I only hang onto my Southwest card to get referral bonuses. I cancel it every two years, wait a few months, and then sign up again for the bonus.
So now that you know my favorite programs, I want to share with you which of my cards I use for which type of purchases:
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass card (current sign-up offer is 130k points worth $750+!):
Gasoline – 6x points = 3% back toward Hilton stays
Groceries- 6x points = 3% back toward Hilton stays
Chase Sapphire Preferred card (current sign-up offer is 60k points worth $750+!):
Dining – 3x points = 3.75% back toward flexible travel options
Travel – 3x points = 3.75% back toward flexible travel options
Streaming services – 3x points = 3.75% back toward flexible travel options
Chase Ink Business Cash card (current sign-up offer is earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening):
Amazon, PetSmart, Lowes, and a few other retailers (I purchase gift cards at Staples for these retailers) - 5x points = 6.25% back toward flexible travel options once you move the points over to your Chase Sapphire account.
Cell phone and home internet bill – 5x points = 6.25% back toward flexible travel options once you move the points over to your Chase Sapphire account.
Capital One Venture card (current sign-up offer is 75k points worth $750+):
Misc expenses such as: Insurance, car repairs, medical, home maintenance, kids’ activity fees, as well as clothing, furniture, and home goods/décor – 2x points = 2% back toward any travel charged to the card.
I do use my other cards for some “one-off” earning as well:
· I use my Chase Freedom Flex card (current sign-up offer is earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.) for whatever the quarterly bonus category is (it rotates each quarter and you have to register your card for the new offer) – 5x points = 6.25% back toward flexible travel options once you move the points over to your Chase Sapphire account.
· I use my Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card (current offer is earn Companion Pass® good through 2/28/25 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening) exclusively across all expenses for a period of time if I’m trying to top off my point balance to earn the Companion Pass
· I use my other hotel cards (Marriott Boundless and World of Hyatt card) when I am staying at that hotel chain to pay for any incidentals charged to the room. I primarily keep hotel cards for the annual free night. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card currently has a great sign-up offer of 5 free night certificates.
· I also sign up for other airline or hotel cards to get the bonus for a specific trip I’ve already identified. I don’t typically hang onto these cards for long.
Ok I think I covered them all!...Whew!...Don’t be overwhelmed or intimidated by what I described above. Remember that I have been doing this for MANYYYY years. I did not have this many cards to begin with. My whole card strategy evolved over time and was driven by where we wanted to travel next and what cards could earn points to make that happen. I wrote this because so many people ask me specific questions that parts of this post will now answer!!! If you have any questions, email me or DM me on Instagram! I would be happy to help you determine what cards are right for you!